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Connecticut: Farm Animals Deserve Better

Update

July 2014: Thank you for taking action on this bill. The Connecticut legislature is out of session and H.B. 5416 did not pass. Be sure to keep an eye out for our action alerts when the next legislative session begins!

April 11, 2014

Dear Connecticut Humanitarian,

A bill has been introduced in the Connecticut legislature that is intended to stymie any effort to improve conditions for farm animals. The bill, H.B. 5416, creates a livestock advisory council that will claim to be interested in farm animal welfare. But H.B. 5416 stacks the advisory board with industry representatives, and provides minimal representation from animal protection groups and pasture-based family farmers. The result will be a heavily biased advisory board that will do little for animals within the state.

As originally drafted, the legislation banned the use of cruel gestation crates for pregnant pigs, but this language was stripped from the measure, leaving only the advisory council provision. Now, if the bill passes, the council can be expected to thwart any efforts to improve the housing and care of farm animals. This has been the case elsewhere: similarly constructed livestock advisory boards in other states have blocked progress for animals; let's not let this happen in Connecticut, too.

What You Can DoPlease call or write your state legislators and Governor Malloy today and urge them to oppose H.B. 5416. To identify your legislators and their contact information, click here (once you click on the link, enter your address and click "Go" to find the state senator and representative for your district). You can say: "I am a constituent, and I'm calling to ask you to vote no on H.B. 5416. This bill creates a livestock advisory council that is heavily biased toward industrial operations and runs counter to the interests of family farmers and the passage of laws to improve conditions for farm animals in the state."

Also, be sure to share our "Dear Humanitarian" eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators as well. As always, thank you very much for your dedication to protecting animals!

Sincerely,

Dena Jones
Farm Animal Program Manager

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